Efficacy of an Abduction Brace in Preventing Initial Dislocation in the Early Postoperative Period after Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty

Abstract

We hypothesized that a hip brace may prevent the initial dislocation in the early postoperative period after total hip arthroplasty (THA). We performed a prospective evaluation of the efficacy of a brace in preventing dislocation in 54 primary THAs in 43 patients. All of the patients wore braces for 3 weeks postoperatively. The occurrence of dislocation was evaluated six months postoperatively. There were no cases of dislocation while wearing a brace, while two posterior dislocations occurred 8 and 12 days postoperatively while picking something up from the floor without a brace in so-called provocative positions. The results of this study suggest that a hip brace helps patients to recognize careless provocative positions and prevents the initial hip dislocation in this period instead of usual postoperative management for an average of 6 weeks after discharge, such as a high toilet seat, restricted hip flexion in the activities of daily living, use of a reacher or grabber, an abduction pillow, and a high chair.